Incubator.



P. KAISER.

INCUBATOR.

APPLICATION men JULY 19. 1915.

.Paben July 11, 1916.

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PETER KAISER, OF CROWN POINT, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF SIXTY-FIVE ONE- HUNDREDTI-IS TO CLAYTON D. ROOT, OF CROWN POINT, INDIANA.

INOUBATOR.

Application filed July 19, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PETER KAISER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Crown Point, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incubators, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act specification.

My invention is concerned with incubators for hatching poultry, and is designed to produce a device of the class described which shall be simple in its construction, and yet capable of a very fine regulation of the thermostatic mechanism by which the temperature of the egg compartment is kept uniform.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets of drawings, in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures, of which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus; Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the cover removed, as it would be seen in section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of'Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, as seen on the line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a similar view, as seen in section on the line 5- 5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a vertical section on a still larger scale, as seen on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention,-I employ a preferably rectangular casing having the bottom 10, the sides 11, 12, 13 and 14, and the removable lid 15. The lid, bottom and sides may be constructed in any of the desired customary manners to retain the heat in the incubator. In the side 11, I place the sliding door 16, which slides down in suitable guideways constructed in the walls 12 and 14, and is hooked up in place by the hook 17 pivoted to the wall 11 and cooperating with a pin 18 secured to said door. This door gives access to the interior for the insertion and removal of the egg tray 19, which may be of any suitable construction, and is held in place on the two cleats 20 secured to the sides 12 and 14;

To heat the interior, I preferably employ a circulating hot-water heating system, of which the basis is the boiler 21, which preferably consists of a rectangular sheet-metal casing having around the lower edges thereof the depending flange 22, which is adapt- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Serial No. 40,546.

ed to fit over the fine 24, which is likewise constructed of sheet-metal and is supported from the metallic plate 25, secured to the side of the box, by the two arms or more 26 extending therefrom and secured to the sides of the flue. The upper end of the flue corresponds in its shape and dimensions with the rectangular cross-section of the boilercasing, but the lower portion 27 is reduced in width, as seen, until it is square in horizontal cross-section. In use, the bottom of the flue is closed by the rectangular flange 28 fitting thereover and projecting from the center of the metallic chimney 29, which rests 011 the burner 30 of the lamp 31, which is suspended bv hooks 32 secured on the lower portion 27 of the flue 24, and engaging with the eyes projecting upward from the bowl of the lamp 31. The boiler 21 has extending upward through the body thereof a plurality of fines 34, 34. Entering the inner side of the boiler is a pair of horizontal tubes 37 and 38, and these tubes pass through the side 14 of the casing, through the slot 39, which is open at its upper end so that the boiler can be lifted out of the box when the lid 15 is removed. The horizontal pipes 37 and 38 have their inner ends closed, as seen in Fig. 4, and leading from near the inner end of the pipe 37 is a pipe 40, which forms a rectangle in its course, and enters at its other end into the tube 38 beneath the point at which it starts from the pipe 37. Outside of this pipe 40 is another similarly shaped pipe 41, which passes from the tube 37 to the right and to the outside of the tube 40, and enters the pipe 38 just below the point at which it starts from .the pipe 37. The pipe 40 is preferably slightly larger in diameter than the pipe 41, so that the two pipes, although differing in length, may contain substantially the same amount of water. The boiler and the pipes form a rigid structure, one side of which is supported by the boiler resting on the flue 24, while the other side is supported by the corners of the pipe 41 resting on the corner pieces or brackets 42 secured in the casing to the walls 11, 12 and 13. To brace the structure, the pipes 40 and 41 are connected by the sheet-metal clip 43 brazed thereto, as seen in Fig. 2.

With the construction shown, it will be obvious that as the heat is applied to the perature throughout the casing.

To control the temperature, I employ thermostatic mechanism, preferably constructed as follows: In the casing, and secured to the side 14 thereof, I place the bracket 44, best seen in Figs.4 and 5, and in a suitable bearing stud 45 supported from this bracket, I fulcrum a lever 46, which has a contact lug 47 on the shorter arm thereof,

, which loosely engages the undersideof the center-of a pair of thermostat disks 48. These'disks are rigidly secured, at 49, to the flattened end of the lever 50, which is fulcrumed at 51 between a pair of ears carried by the bracket 44, and has its other end extending outward through the slot 52 formed in the wall 14 of the casing. A rod 53 is pivotally connected to the outer end of this lever'50, and has itsthreaded lower end 54extending down through an aperture in the horizontal arm of the bracket 55 secured to the outer side of'the wall 14. A pair of adjusting nuts 56 and 57, threaded on the ends 54'on opposite sides of the bracket 55,

enable me to. determine withaccuracy the height of the thermostat disks 48, and consequently the angle at which they shall hold Let the lever 46 at any desired temperature. A link 58 pivoted on the other end of the lever 46 is pivotally connected to the crank arm 59 secured to the inner end of the rock shaft 60,

which passes through'asuitable aperture 61 on the side 14 of the casing, andis journaled in two bearing brackets 62 and 63 conven iently riveted to the inner and outer walls of the upper portion of the flue 24. The flue 24 is provided with apertures 64 therein, permitting the passage ofthe rock shaft 60, whichapertures are considerably larger in diameter than the rock shaft 60, so as to prevent any possible binding which might result from the expansion of the parts under the action of heat. Rigidly secured to the rock shaft inside ofthe flue 24 is the damper or deflecting plate 65. In addition to the fines 34', the boiler 21 has the larger flue 66, at one side thereof, and there is preferably provided a cap 67 for the boiler,

which cap has a large tube 68 therein adapted to fit down into the square flue 66. Secured on the outer end of the rock shaft 60 is a pointer '69 which cooperates with a series of graduations 7O placed on the outer face of the flue 24, Which graduations may be suitably marked to indicate whether the temperature is too cool or too warm.

To provide means for opening a ventilating valve in the cover 15 in case the temperature rises too high, I place in said cover a preferably rectangular aperture 71, and hinge in one side of said aperture a valve 72, which is preferably made of sheet-metal and has a glass body so as to make the interior of the casing visible through said valve. Pivotally lnounted in a bracket 73, secured to and extending downward from the under side of the lid 15, is a lever 74 which has one end engaging the under side of the valve 72, while its other end is provided with a series of apertures 75, into one of which can be placed a hook 76 secured on the weight 77. The lever 74 has a contact lug 78 formed on its under side and resting on the center of the pair of thermostat disks 7 9, which are rigidly secured at the center of their lower sides to the horizontal bar 80, the ends of which are secured to a pair of vertical rods 81 which extend upward. through suitable apertures in the lid 15, and have their threaded upper ends provided with set nuts 82, by which the height of the thermostat disks 79 and the consequent temperature at which the levers 74 will open the valve 72 can be accurately adjusted and regulated. To furnish additional means for V ventilating the egg chamber, I may form in one or more of the walls 11, 12, 18 gnd 14, suitable apertures, which are covered I by disks or valves 83 frictionally pivoted to the walls of the casing and adapted to be manipulated by the flanges 84 to regulate the extent to which the apertures with which they cooperate may be opened or closed.

The operation of the thermostat controlling devices will now be apparent. Assuming that the ammratus is set for a temperature of, say 103 Fahrenheit, and that when thus adjusted the damper is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3,-in case the temperature rises above this maximum, the thermostat disks 48, by their heating and expanding action, serve to rock the lever 46, and this, through the link 58 and the crank arm 59, rocks the shaft 60 and swings the damper 65 over the top of the chimney 24, allowing a portion of the heated air ascending from the lamp to pass up through the flue 66 and tube 68 and escape into the air. At the same excess in temperature, the

thermostat element 79 serves to lift the lever 74, raising the valve 72, and allowing some of the heated air to escape through the lid, thus quickly reducing the temperature and allowing the parts to fall back to their normal place. As these incubators are frequently stored away during a portion of the year, I preferably make the legs 86 removable, constructing them of iron rods, which are adapted to fit into the tubes 87 formed in the cast corner pieces 88, which are bolted to the casing to fasten the corners together. Set screws 89 cooperating with the legs 86 enable me to secure them solidly in place.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications, and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

.Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of a. boiler outside of the casing for heating water, a pair of connection pipes, one above the other, extending from the boiler into the casing, a heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in one direction around the outer portion of the interior of the casing above the egg chamber and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a second heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in the opposite direction around the interior of the casing above the egg chamber adjacent the first heating pipe and terminating in the lower connection pipe, and means for applying heat to the boiler to cause a circulation of water through the heating pipes in opposite directions to equalize the temperature throughout the egg chamber.

2. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of a boiler outside 01 the casing for heating water, a pair of connection pipes, one above the other, extending from the boiler into the casing, a heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in one direction around the outer portion of the interior of the casing above the egg chamber and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a second heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in the opposite direction around the interior of the casing above the egg chamber adjacent the first heating pipe and terminating in the lower connection pipe, said boiler and pipes being rigidly connected but loosely supported in the upper part of the casing so that when the top is removed the boiler and pipes may be lifted out attached to each other, and means for applying heat to the boiler to cause a circulation of water through the heating pipes in opposite directions to equalize the temperature throughout the egg chamber.

3. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of a boiler outside of the casing for heating water, a pair of connection pipes, one above the other, extending from the boiler in to the casing, a heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in one direction around the outer portion of the interior of the casing above the egg chamber and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a second heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in the opposite direction around the interior of the casing above the egg chamber adjacent the first heating pipe and terminating in the lower connection pipe, means for applying heat to the boiler to cause a circulation of water through the heating pipes in opposite directions toequalize the temperature throughout the egg chamber, a thermostat element in the casing, and connections from said element to the heating means to keep the temperature constant.

4:. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of a boiler outside of the casing for heating water, a pair of connection pipes, one above the other, extending from the boiler into the casing, a heating pipe extend ing from the upper connection pipe in one direction around the outer portion of the interior of the casing above the egg chamber and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a second heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in the opposite direction around the interior of the casing above the egg chamber adjacent the first heating pipe and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a lamp supported beneath the boiler, and a fine connecting the'chimney of the lamp with the bottom of the boiler.

5. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of a boiler outside of the casing for heating water, a pair of connection pipes one above the other, extending from the boiler into the casing, a heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in one direction around the outer portion of the interior of the casing above the egg chamber and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a second heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in the opposite direction around the interior oi the casing above the chamber adjacent the first heating pipe and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a lamp supported beneath the boiler, a flue connecting the chimney of the lamp with the bottom of the boiler, a valve hung in the flue, a thermostat element in the easing, and connections from the thermostat element to the *alve to swing the latter to divert the heat from the boiler.

6. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of a boiler outside of the casing for heating water, a pair of connection pipes, one above the other, extending from the boiler into the casing, a heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in one direction around the outer portion of the interior of the casing above the egg chamber and terminating in the lower connection pipe, a second heating pipe extending from the upper connection pipe in the opposite direction around the interior of the casing above the egg chamber adjacent the first heating pipe and terminating in thelower connection pipe, means for applying heat to the boiler to cause a circulation of water through the heating pipes in opposite directions to equalize the temperature throughout the egg chamber, a thermostat element in the casing, a valve in the top of the'casi ng to permit the escape of heated air, and connections from the thermostat element to the heating means and valve to keep the temperature constant and open the valve when the heat becomes abnormal.

7. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of a fine supported at one side thereof, a rock shaftextending through the flue and into the casing, a valve carried by the rock shaft and whose position determines the degree of heat applied to the chamber, thermostat connections with the rockshaft within the casing to determine the position of the valve, means for supplying heat to pass through the flue, bearings for said rock shaft supported from the fine at a distance therefrom, and apertures in the flue of greater diameter than the rock shaft passing therethrough. I

S. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of heat-siiipplying means located outside of said casing, a flue through which the heat ascends, a swing member cooperating with the fine and serving to deflect some "of the heat therefrom as its position changes, a rock shaft connected therewith and extending from the casing'and whose position determines the'amount of heat sup plied, a thermostat element in the casing, connections from the thermostat element to the rock shaft to roclvthe latter as the element expands and contracts, and means extending to the exterior of the casing for determining the position therein of the thermostat element.

7 9. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of heat-supplying means located outside of said casing, a flue through which the heat ascends, a swinging member cooperating with the flue and serving to de fleet some of the heat therefrom as its position changes, a rock shaft connected therewith and extending from the casing and whose position determines the amount of heat supplied, a thermostat element in the casing, connections from the thermostat element to the rock shaft to rock the latter as the element expands and contracts, and means extending to the exterior of the casing for determining the position therein of the thermostat element, said means consisting of a lever to which the thermostat element is secured, a bracket outside of the casing, athreaded rod connected to the lever and extending through the bracket, and nuts on the rod coeperating with the bracket.

10. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of heat-simplying means located outside of said casing, a fine through which the heat ascends, a swinging member cooperating with the fine and serving to defleet some of the heat therefrom as its position changes, a rock shaft connected there with and extending from the casing and whose position determines the amount of heat supplied, a thermostat element in the casing, a crank arm connected to the shaft, a lever having a bearing against one side of the thermostat element, a link connecting the crank arm and the lever, and means extending to the exterior of the casing for determining the position therein of the thermostat.

11. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of heat-supplying means located outside of said casing, aline through which the heat ascends, a swinging member cooperating with the fine and serving to deflect someof the heat therefrom as its position changes, a rock shaft connected therewith and extending from the casing and whose position determines the amount of heat supplied, a thermostat element in the casing, a c ank arm connected to the shaft, a lever having a bearing against one side of the thermostat element, a link connecting the crank arm and the lever, and means extending to the exterior of the casing for determining the position therein of the thermostat element, said means consisting of a lever to which the thermostat element is secured, a bracket outside of the casing, a threaded rod connected to the lever and extending through the bracket, and nuts on the rod cooperating with. the bracket.

12. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of an aperture in the top thereof, a valve pivoted in the aperture, a crooked lever fulcrumed in the casing and having a portion bearing directly against the valve to open the same as the lever is moved be yond a certain position, a thermostat in the casing connected to the lever, and means for supplying the casing with heat.

I 13. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of an aperture in the top thereof, a valve pivoted in the aperture, a crooked lever fulcrumed in the casing and having a portion bearing directly against the valve to open the same as the lever is moved beyond a certain position, a thermostat in the casing connected to the lever, means extending to and adjustable from the outside of the casing to determine the position of the thermostat and the consequent temperature at which the valve will open, and means for supplying the casing with heat.

14. In an incubator, the combination with a casing, of an aperture in the top thereof, a valve pivoted in the aperture, a crooked lever fulcrumed in the casing and having a portion bearing directly against the valve to open the same as the lever is moved beyond a certain position, a thermostat in the casing connected to the lever, means eXtending to and adjustable from the outside of the casing to determine the position of the thermostat and the consequent temperature at which the valve will open, said means consisting of a frame on which the thermostat is rigidly supported, rods extending therefrom through the walls of the casing, and nuts cooperating with the threaded ends of the rods, and means for supplying the casing with heat.

15. In an incubator, the combination with a removable cover, of a thermostat element depending therefrom, a lever located beneath the cover and pivoted from a fulcrum depending from said cover and cooperating With the thermostat element, and a valve pivoted in an opening in the cover and engaged from its under side by one end of the lever.

16. In an incubator, the combination with a removable cover, of a thermostat element depending therefrom, a lever located beneath the cover and pivoted from a fulcrum depending from said cover and cooperating with the thermostat element, a valve pivoted in an opening in the cover and engaged from its under side by one end of the lever, and means adjustable from the em terior of the cover for determining the position of the thermostat element.

17. In an incubator, the combination with a removable cover, of a thermostat element depending therefrom, a lever located beneath the cover and pivoted from a fulcrum depending from said cover and cooperating with the thermostat element, a valve pivoted in an opening in the cover and engaged from its under side by one end of the lever, and means adjustable from the eX- terior of the cover for determining the position of the thermostat element, said means consisting of a pair of rods to the lower end of which the support for the thermostat element is secured, and nuts cooperating with the threaded ends of the rods outside of the casing.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and aiiixed my seal, this 16th day of July, A. D. 1915.

PETER KAISER. [L. s.]

Witnesses MARTIN J. SMITH, C. D. RooT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

